Flashings are typically disposed at the interfaces formed between roofs and walls of buildings to prevent water from leaking through the interfaces to the underlying structures. One such interface in a typical building construction is the intersection of a slanted roof with a vertical exterior wall that extends higher than the roof such that the intersection extends perpendicular to the wall at a slant defined by the angle of the roof. L-shaped pieces of flexible metal flashing are typically provided at the intersection so that a first leg of each flashing is disposed against the roof and a perpendicular second leg is disposed against the wall. Successive pieces of the flashing are installed along the intersection so that each piece of flashing is overlapped by the next successively higher piece of flashing. Thus, water flowing along the intersection of the roof and wall flows to the bottom of the roof without penetrating the flashing to the underlying roof or wall materials. Typically, shingles and wood siding are installed on the roof and wall, respectively, at least partially covering the flashings. As an alternative to wood siding, conventional stucco or stone can be used.
At the bottom of the intersection, the lowermost piece of flashing is typically cut and bent to form an angled kickout in order to direct the water flowing down the roof away from the wall. The cut made in the flashing to facilitate bending and forming the kickout can result in leaking of water, which can flow into the wall behind the siding or under the shingles to the roof, thereby causing damage to the wall or the roof. Conventional kickouts are sometimes sealed with a weld or solder joint or with caulk, but such seals require time for forming and can eventually leak, especially in the case of a caulk seal.
Thus, there exists a need for a device and method for use in directing water along interfacing members of a building and away from the interface, e.g., away from a vertical wall that is abutted by a slanted roof. The device should be relatively easy to install and economical to manufacture. Preferably, the device should be compatible with intersections of different orientations such that a single device can be selectively installed to direct water according to the orientation of each intersection.